This disclosure is directed to personal communication devices, and more specifically to a hinge assembly for a mobile or handheld electronic device.
Mobile devices are generally utilized for both business and personal use, and are typically two-way communication devices that offer voice and data communication, such as email and text messaging. Additional features such as Internet browsing, navigation systems and calendar applications are also available on some conventional devices.
Conventional mobile devices can come in several form factors, such as candy bar, slider, and clamshell or flip-style. Clamshell devices typically include an upper housing, a lower housing and a hinge or connector assembly that enables the upper housing to rotate relative to the lower housing for opening and closing of the device. When the device is in an open configuration, the upper and lower housings are typically offset from or overlap each other, with the upper housing being arranged at an oblique angle relative to the lower housing. Such a configuration can limit the size of the input devices provided on inner surfaces of the upper and lower housings. Specifically, due to the overlap of one of the housings onto the other of the housings, one of the input devices may need to be reduced in size to fit on the housing and not be obstructed by the overlapping housing. Further, due to the construction of some conventional hinge assemblies, when the device is in the open configuration, the upper and lower housings are separated by the hinge assembly such that an input device on the upper housing may not be able to extend onto the lower housing and vice versa.